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Sisyphus
SisyphusIn Greek mythology, Sisyphus was famous for two things: his cleverness during life and the punishment he suffered after death. Although stories about Sisyphus differ somewhat in their details, he is usually referred to as the king of Corinth. One story about Sisyphus involves Autolycus, a clever thief. Autolycus stole cattle by changing their color so that they could not be identified. Sisyphus outwitted him, however, by placing a mark on the cattle's hooves so that he could follow the hoofprints to the stolen animals. In another myth, Sisyphus saw Zeus* kidnap a river nymph, but he promised to keep the hiding place secret. He betrayed Zeus, however, when he revealed the location to the nymph's father in exchange for a spring of pure water. Furious, Zeus sent Thanatos* (death) to take Sisyphus to Hades*. The clever Sisyphus managed to tie up Thanatos, and for days no one on earth died. Ares* went to free death and take Sisyphus to the underworld. Sisyphus called out to his wife not to bury him, and he persuaded Hades, ruler of the underworld, to let him go back to earth long enough to arrange a proper funeral. After returning to Corinth though, Sisyphus stayed there until his second, and final, death. nymph minor goddess of nature, usually represented as young and beautiful underworld land of the dead As punishment for tricking the gods, Sisyphus was placed on a hillside in the underworld with a heavy boulder above him. To escape being crushed, he had to push the boulder uphill. The gods told him that if he rolled the stone to the other side they would release him. Each time he reached the top, though, the boulder rolled back down to the bottom, forcing Sisyphus to start over. The phrase "labor of Sisyphus" refers to any hopeless task that must be repeated endlessly. See also Greek Mythology; Hades; Thanatos. * See Names and Places at the end of this volume for further information. |
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"Sisyphus." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Sisyphus." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900454.html "Sisyphus." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900454.html |
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Sisyphus
Sisyphus , in Greek mythology, son of Aeolus and founder and king of Corinth. Renowned for his cunning, he was said to have outwitted even Death. For his disrespect to Zeus, he was condemned to eternal punishment in Tartarus. There he eternally pushed a heavy rock to the top of a steep hill, where it would always roll down again. Albert Camus' essay The Myth of Sisyphus is based on this legend. |
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"Sisyphus." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Sisyphus." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Sisyphus.html "Sisyphus." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Sisyphus.html |
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Sisyphus
Sisyphus In Greek mythology, founder and king of Corinth. He was punished for trying to trick Thanatos (Death) by being condemned to the underworld to work for eternity, pushing a rock to the top of a steep hill. The rock rolled back to the foot of the hill as soon as Sisyphus reached the summit.
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"Sisyphus." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Sisyphus." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Sisyphus.html "Sisyphus." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Sisyphus.html |
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Sisyphus
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Sisyphus." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Sisyphus." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Sisyphus.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Sisyphus." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Sisyphus.html |
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Sisyphus
Sisyphus
•horrendous, stupendous, tremendous
•Barbados • Indus • solidus • Lepidus
•Midas, nidus
•Aldous • Judas • Enceladus • exodus
•hazardous • Dreyfus • Josephus
•Sisyphus • typhus • Dollfuss
•amorphous, anthropomorphous, polymorphous
•rufous, Rufus
•Angus • Argus
•Las Vegas, magus, Tagus
•negus
•anilingus, cunnilingus, dingus, Mingus
•bogus
•fungous, fungus, humongous
•anthropophagous, oesophagus (US esophagus), sarcophagus
•analogous
•homologous, tautologous
•Areopagus • asparagus
•Burgas, Fergus, Lycurgus
•Carajás • frabjous
•advantageous, contagious, courageous, outrageous, rampageous
•egregious
•irreligious, litigious, prestigious, prodigious, religious, sacrilegious
•umbrageous • gorgeous
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Cite this article
"Sisyphus." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Sisyphus." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Sisyphus.html "Sisyphus." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Sisyphus.html |
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